Polenta is undoubtedly the basic recipe of this region. Recipes vary according to the territory. They go from the mountains to the hills to the sea. So for the mountains, there is a preference for game, always with polenta.
Going downhill we go from FRICO to I CJARSONS and pork knuckle with beer. Descending towards the sea we find Trieste scallops, Trieste goulash and the famous pinza di Trieste. Nevertheless, it is a simple and popular cuisine.
Scallops au gratin
They are an excellent appetiser from Trieste. It is often cooked for Christmas Eve dinner or New Year's Eve dinner.
Ingredients for scallops au gratin
8 scallops
two tablespoons of fresh tomato sauce
30 g grated cheese such as parmesan or grana cheese
one teaspoon chopped parsley
breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of scallops au gratin
Wash the scallops thoroughly and open them with a small knife. Keep only the concave part of the shell and wash again under running water to remove any residual sand.
In a bowl, mix together the cheese, parsley and breadcrumbs, adjusting salt and pepper. Place the scallops in a baking dish and top each with a teaspoon of the compote you prepared earlier. On top again a teaspoon of tomato sauce and a drizzle of olive oil. Place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 5 or 6 minutes. Serve piping hot.
FRICO
This is a kind of omelette with potatoes, but in Friuli it is understood in many ways. Melted cheese is the basis of this dish, but in some places it is enriched with eggs, but also with vegetables.
Needed for the FRICO
grams 300 of potatoes
grams 300 of Montasio cheese, half fresh and half matured
grams 40 of butter
1 small white onion
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of the FRICO
First boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water.
In a frying pan with butter, wilt the finely chopped onion. When it is cooked, add the potatoes, which should be slowly mashed in the frying pan. Cook them for about ten minutes. Slowly add the cheese that has been cut into small cubes and let it melt slowly. Place the mixture in a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve very hot.
CJARSONS
This is a truly DOC first course. These are stuffed gnocchi whose contents change depending on the area where they are cooked, but also on the creativity of the cook.
What you need for CJARSONS
For the dough
grams 450 of flour
water and salt to taste
For the filling
250 grams of already boiled and squeezed spinach
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 eggs
grams 20 of sugar
3 slices of rye bread
grams 50 of grated corn
grams 40 of dark chocolate
100 grams ricotta cheese
30 grams of sultanas
grams 40 finely chopped candied citron
cinnamon powder
For the topping
grams 70 of melted butter
grated cheese to taste
grated smoked ricotta cheese to taste
Preparation of the CJARSONS
Knead the flour with water and a pinch of sugar on a pastry board until it becomes a firm, compact dough. Place the dough in a cool place covered with a cloth for about half an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Put the chopped spinach and parsley in a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese and gradually all the other ingredients and work with a wooden spoon to obtain a soft and smooth mixture.
Now flatten the dough with a rolling pin to a rather thin sheet. Cut out discs of about 4 centimetres in diameter, in the centre of which place a spoonful of filling, fold the disc over and seal the edges.
Now cook the CJARSONS in plenty of salted water and arrange them in a soup tureen in layers, alternating the layer with smoked ricotta and butter. If desired, at the end add a sprinkling of grated cheese. Serve piping hot.
JOTA Friulana
A typical Friulian soup that is eaten very well in the long, usually very cold winter in Friuli.
Needed for the JOTA Friulana
grams 250 of beans
grams 250 of sauerkraut
grams 60 of pork bacon
3 tablespoons of flour
grams 150 pork leg in pieces
1 onion
50 g lard
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of sage and parsley
salt and olive oil to taste
Preparation of the JOTA Friulana
If you use dried beans, soak the beans the night before. When it is time to use the beans, cook them in unsalted water for at least an hour and a half.
Prepare a sauté with the minced lard, finely chopped onion and garlic and the bunch of sage and parsley also chopped.
In a bowl, cook the tablespoons of flour with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the pork leg pieces to the sauté, flour in the oil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Separately, dice the bacon, brown it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add the chopped sauerkraut and let it season for two to three minutes. Add the sauerkraut to the sauté with the pork leg and serve piping hot.
Polenta pasticcata (PASTIZZADA)
Ingredients for the polenta pasticciata
grams 600 of yellow flour
1 litre of whole milk
coarse salt and enough water
for the pasticcio
grams 500 of fresh sausage
grams 200 of sweet ham
grams 30 of sugar
grams 130 of chicken livers
120 g butter
140 g grated cheese (grana or parmesan)
a pinch of cinnamon
Preparation of the polenta pasticciata
In a copper pot pour one litre of milk and one litre of water with a pinch of coarse salt. Bring to the boil. Add the yellow flour a little at a time, working with the stick until cooked. Tip the polenta onto a cutting board, let it cool and cut it into slices.
Now prepare the pasticcio.
Fry the chopped chicken livers in butter in a frying pan, together with the finely chopped sausage and sweet ham.
Butter a baking pan and line the bottom and sides with the polenta slices. Place some of the fried mixture on top, sprinkle with grated cheese, sugar and cinnamon and make another layer of polenta. Continue until the ingredients are finished.
Place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees until the surface is golden brown.
Let us now move on to the main courses.
GULASCH from Trieste
The origin of this dish is not Italian but Hungarian, in the one cooked in Trieste, however, unlike the original it is not cooked with potatoes.
Ingredients for the Trieste GULASH
grams 1200 of veal (also mixed with pork and beef)
grams 100 of lard
1 teaspoon of hot chilli pepper
grams 600 of onions
grams 50 of butter
a glass of white wine
meat stock or stock cube and olive oil to taste
For the seasoning
two tablespoons of olive oil
grams 20 of butter
1 finely chopped celery rib
2 tablespoons of parsley
5 juniper berries
one bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
10 g flour
a pinch of curry powder
salt, pepper and meat stock to taste
Preparation of the Trieste GULASH
In a rather large saucepan, melt 3 quarters of the butter together with the oil and the crushed lard. When melted, add the chopped onions and let them wilt. Add the meat, allow it to take on flavour for two minutes, then add the hot chilli pepper dissolved in white wine, the meat stock and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes, adding stock if necessary.
In a small frying pan now put the remaining butter together with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the celery, parsley, bay leaf, juniper berries, chopped rosemary and curry. Adjust the salt and pepper, add the flour and some meat stock and boil for about half an hour, adding stock if necessary. Add this mixture to the meat and simmer for a further hour. Serve piping hot.
Meatloaf Trieste style
What is needed for the meatloaf alla triestina
1 kg of veal, pork and beef meat in equal parts
4 eggs
grams 100 of stale bread
grams 40 of butter
grams 70 of melted cheese
salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of the meatloaf Trieste style
Mince the various pieces of meat, add the stale bread and eggs. Adjust the salt and pepper and form the classic meatloaf. Place it in a saucepan with the olive oil and butter and cook gently for about 30 minutes with the lid on. Now cover the meatloaf with sliced melted cheese and cook with the lid on until the cheese melts. Serve the meatloaf in slices.
Apple strudel
What you need for the apple strudel
kg 1,500 apples
grams 230 flour
100 grams butter
1 egg
grams 160 sugar
grams 100 of sultanas
2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder
the grated peel of a lemon
salt to taste
Preparation of the apple strudel
Prepare a dough with flour, melted butter, beaten egg and a little water. Form a ball and leave it to rest covered with a cloth.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. After peeling the apples, cut them into thin slices. Add the sugar, sultanas, grated lemon peel and cinnamon.
Now roll out the dough into a rather thin sheet, place the filling on one half of the sheet and roll the sheet with the filling, sealing the edges.
Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes in a buttered pan.
GUBANA
Ingredients for the GUBANA
For the pastry
grams 600 of flour
grams 130 of butter, already softened
grams 600 of sugar
a small glass of rum or grappa
the zest of a grated lemon
6 eggs
a sachet of baking powder
milk and salt to taste
For the filling
grams 100 of almonds
grams 100 of pine nuts
grams 200 of walnut kernels
grams 100 of sultanas soaked in grappa
grams 100 of finely chopped candied fruit
Preparation of the GUBANA
First prepare the yeast. Then put two or three tablespoons of flour with the sachet of baking powder and mix with a little milk. Leave to rest covered with a cloth for at least half an hour.
Beat the eggs, leaving the white of one egg, which will be used for finishing the cake. Then beat the eggs with the sugar, preferably using an electric beater to whisk them very well. Now add the softened butter, a pinch of salt, the rum or grappa, the lemon zest and slowly the flour. This dough should be left to rise for at least a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by kneading together all the finely chopped ingredients.
Now roll out the dough to obtain a not very fine sheet on which the filling will be placed, and the pastry is then closed by rolling it up like a snail. Sprinkle the beaten egg white on top.
Place on a sheet of baking paper and place in a warm oven to rise for about twenty minutes.
Remove from the oven, turn the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes.
